There’s nothing quite as satisfying as seeing someone embark on a truly epic winning streak on a game show. Maybe it’s the sense that that person has somehow beat the odds that are stacked against them. Maybe it’s the sense that that person is truly talented and has made the best of their talents.
It probably comes as no surprise that the contestants on Jeopardy! have managed to accrue more wins than any other game show. If you ever wanted to know who, exactly, has the record for the most wins on a game show, look no further. Here are the ten best of them.
Jason Keller (2011)- 9 Games, $215,900
Jason Keller, from Highland Park, New Jersey, managed to add up nine wins during his time on the show, winning a total of $213,900. After several attempts to get on the series, he finally managed to impress the producers by pointing out how he’d made friends with several other former contestants through such as Scrabble tournaments and quiz bowls. Before appearing on Jeopardy! he had been a lifelong fan of it, and he had even been known to send postcards (with self-addressed stamped envelopes) to the show. He later traveled to Israel.
Arthur Chu (2014)- 11 Games, $297,200
This winner would go on to become quite the public figure after his series of eleven wins on Jeopardy! Some were dissatisfied with the way in which Chu would often skip from category to category during the course of the game, as well as a number of other mannerisms that set him apart from other contestants on the game show.
After his wins on Jeopardy! he would go on to write for a variety of outlets, ranging from Salon to The Daily Beast, writing about subjects such as sexism in nerd culture.
Seth Wilson (2016)- 12 Games, $267,002
It’s hard not to cheer for someone who’s a doctoral student. We all know that it’s not easy being a graduate student and that, combined with Wilson’s innate affability and charm, made him an ideal contestant on Jeopardy! He would go on to win a series of twelve games, with a total money haul of $265,002. One of his favorite moments when he completely swept the category centered on George Clooney movies. After winning, he announced that he was going to spend his winnings on both paying off his student loans (smart guy!) and travel.
Austin Rogers (2017)- 12 Games, $413,000
Like Seth Wilson, Austin Rogers managed to rack up an impressive twelve wins during his time on Jeopardy! He soon established a reputation for being a bit outside of the box of what people normally expected from contestants on the show, including adopting various poses during his introduction. In fact, he was once referred to be as being “Krameresque.” He would earn $413,000. Not too shabby for a guy who was a bartender before appearing on this game show. He would go on to compete on the game show Cash Cab, on which he managed to earn $2,400.
Matt Jackson (2015)- 13 Games, $413,612
This contestant, born in 1992, competed in 2015, going on to win thirteen games and accruing a tidy sum of $413,612 (exceeding Arthur Chu’s totals). He would go on to be a contestant in the 2015 Tournament of Champions, finishing second to Alex Jacob. In 2019, he competed in the All-Star relay tournament. He also pursued a bachelor’s degree in philosophy at Yale University, where he graduated in 2012, after which be became a paralegal. Ironically, though “boom” was declared his catchphrase by viewers, he only ever used it once during the game.
David Madden (2005)- 19 Games, $432,400
David Madden, who won an eye-popping nineteen games and $432,400. He grew up in Ridgewood, New Jersey, graduating from Ridgewood High School (where he competed on the quiz bowl team). He attended Princeton University, graduating in 2003, before pursuing a master’s degree in international relations at the Free University of Berlin. He has also become known for his organizational role in a variety of academic competitions, including the National History Bee and Bowel, the National History Bee Middle School Competition, and the International History Olympiad, and the Geography Bee.
Jason Zuffranieri (2019)- 19 Games, $534,496
Jason Zuffranieri, a math teacher from Albuquerque, New Mexico, ended up winning nineteen games and $532,496. He lost as a result of not winning the final question correctly (having been outflanked by Gabe Brison-Tresize). He is originally from the city of Depew, New York. In a rather unusual move, he was a rocket scientist before becoming a teacher. Like several other of the most successful candidates, he actually tried out for the show several times (nine, in total) before he ultimately appeared on-air. His style of play was influenced by James Holzhauer.
Julia Collins (2014)- 21 Games, $429,100
Collins, a supply-chain professional from Illinois, was a double major in art history and history from Wellesley College in 2005, and she would go on to receive a master’s degree in logistics and supply chain management engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
While on the show, she managed to accrue 21 wins and a total of $429,100. She would later go on to appear on the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions in 2014, where she ultimately finished second. She would also appear on the All-Star Games draft show, where she and her team would finish third.
James Holzhauer (2019)- 33 Games, $2,464,216
It is perhaps not surprising that someone who is a professional sports gambler would know how to succeed on a show such as Jeopardy!, as Holzhauer would go on to prove, earning $2 million in winnings over a winning streak that lasted 33 appearances. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. He also appeared on several other game shows, including The Chase in 2014, 500 Questions in 2015. He would also go on to appear in the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions in 2019.
Ken Jennings (2004)- 74 Games, $2,522,700
And finally, we come to the most famous Jeopardy! contestant of all time, the one and only Ken Jennings. In addition to being the most successful constant on Jeopardy!, he also holds the record for being the highest-earning American game show contestant. He won a total of seventy-four times during his time on the show, earning a total of $4,522,700. After this time on the show, Jennings would go on to become a public figure, including maintaining a very active Twitter presence. He is also a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.